catenatus nocte
by detrametal
Summary: he had been sent as the last bit of mercy. he was Vendice. he was different. he was to help keep them out of trouble. I do not own Hitman reborn
1. Link 1- past

Bermuda's greatest moment of triumph was in the death of another person. The woman's blood flooded the wound above her pregnant stomach as she fell to the hard cement, she knew she was dying. She was a freelance assassin hired to kill a small time drug lord. Too bad her client failed to tell her about the mercs. Now she was paying the price, her and her unborn baby were dying. As her back hit the unyielding floor she sobbed something on the night air. Like a mirage the Vendice appeared. She knew she didn't have time "keep him safe" her hand on her stomach was the only thing he needed to know. Bermuda nodded and watched the pained smile the washed over her face before watching her soul depart her body. That was the pain of being Vendice, being caught between life and death.

He jumped off Jager's shoulder and flicked open the scabbard and pulled out the long knife. "forgive me Ambra…" the blood soaked baby in his hands let out a weak whimper instead of a full force cry. Although it had been centuries since he had been a parent he immediately understood how weak this new born, for lack of better term, was. The baby would live in their home. He would drink of their vengeance. He would be a living Vendice.

Bermuda gently bounced the tiny one in his arms "little Anastasio" he cooed and the baby opened his eyes. Black sapphires.

* * *

The man wreathed on the ground as did his guardians. Pain corroded his sanity, the very air seemed to be destroying him. One man made twenty people beg for death just with his aura. Insane would be the thought of anyone who didn't know who this figure was. Cloaked in black, dressed in the finest clothing of an era long dead, as if going to the banquet hall of Lucifer himself. Vendice. That word drove men into a panic. They were the most feared of all the mafia.

Bermuda's glare cut through the wrappings on his face and burrowed deep within the leader's mind. Suddenly shooting that whore didn't seem like such a good idea.

* * *

_A different time in a different place…_

A voice called "Wake up, it's time for your gift! "

The boy groaned "_great_" before shuffling down the stairs. His shaggy black hair fell down and hid his face as he walked into the room filled with the scarred corpses of the Vendice who sat around the room in different lounging positions. At this place none of them wore their bandages, here was the one place on Earth were they were normal, the one place they could relax. His mother sat before him, she had been made a Vendice after the desperation to see her son reached the level that Bermuda could change. She sat at the table in jeans and a t-shirt, warm blue eyes were blocked by long white hair as she smiled at him. Anastasio scratched the back of his head and knelt in front of his mom and his ancestor. Bermuda handed him a small package and he reverently unwrapped it. Bermuda looked on with a small smile as he watched the boy he regarded as a son open the package.

Inside was a knife, the boy nearly dropped it, it weight so much more than it should have. His child's face showed supreme happiness. His first weapon. The first step in proving his family proud.

Bermuda looked at Ambra who wrapped her arms around her five year old son "it's about time you started training…" his bright smile infected everybody. He was all their children, he was what they believed in, not God, not fate, but this small child in front of them. Yes, they believed in him.

* * *

Bermuda sat in a hammock watching Anastasio's training. His body had been broken down and reformed. He looked like a sixteen year old athlete, his training these past five years had been beyond brutal. The boy went flying into a wall hard enough to rattle the steel frame. With blood smattered across his face and his eyes dark with determination he looked like some sort of demon, he glared at Jager "again" and rushed him.

She was waiting in pain, he could feel it in his marrow, a splinter in his soul. Two years she had been missing. Two years since she had been taken. He needed to find her.

Bermuda felt his anger, anger at the world who took his mother, anger at Jager for asking her to go, anger at him for siding with Jager, anger at the others at their perspective. And rage beyond belief at himself. He loathed himself for allowing it to happen, for not being strong enough. Although this last point was one of great debate, for a human he was already immensely powerful, amongst the Vendice and some other famiglias he was weak. Not just weak but utterly powerless. And he felt it.

As he rushed towards Jager, his body fell. He curled into a ball and coughed as blood poured from his lungs and onto the hard ground. His vision was reduced to black as he crushed his eyes shut trying to relieve the pain that light brought. Too much pain. His body wouldn't move to his will and he felt like he was drowning in his own blood. A obliterating sense of black fell over him. Too much pain.

* * *

He woke to find himself strapped to the bed with all the Vindice standing around him with several doctors. He tried to speak but blood flooded his lungs and he coughed up the crimson liquid. Alejandro rushed forward and held a handkerchief to his face and spoke softly, like he was trying to reassure the ten year old on the bed "we're here, we're here for you…" and he gently rubbed circles on the boy's back. Bermuda hopped on his Anastasio's shoulder and put a hand on the back of his head. They all huddled around him in support as his entire world collapsed for the second time in his short life. He was dying. Slowly. It was inevitable, in all the parallel worlds he died. This reality was no different.

* * *

_Lifetimes later and only moments after…_

_Anastasio walked with Bermuda on his shoulder, the smaller of the two spoke "it's been 12 years and you're still searching?"_

_Anastasio walked amongst the water tubes that held the prisoners looking every inch the Vendice he had grown to be "I will never stop searching for her" he pressed a hand against the glass as a person twitched, against all latitudes of understanding he murmured a single phrase "dream well, and sleep deep. We are here" he said it like it was some sort of comfort that the avengers were surrounding a prisoner._

_Bermuda continued on "your new assignment. You are to go to Namimori and advise the Vongola and their allies. We have supported them after they freed us from our curse. They need to understand our rules." unspoken but still understood part crept over him 'your time is nearly up. Pass these final days in peace' _

_Anastasio knelt before his leader and adoptive father "I will do what I must." and the he forced a portal of flames of night to open before steeping through._


	2. Link 2- life

_Time tis a beast with no master, _

_He who sayeth otherwise hath never _

_Felt her teeth…_

When Reborn told the Vongola about Anastasio's arrival they had freaked out…big time. Like bigger than Reborn thought possible. Even Hibari.

When the Vendice stepped through the portal and into Namimori he was a little taken back at how miraculously quiet the whole town was. He walked around the town in the cloak of darkness that had covered him since his birth. Invisible to even the most skilled illusionist he wandered the city as the evening fell. He stopped at the house, no, _his_ house. Until he died it was his. He looked at the deep gray color of the Victorian style home. He wandered down it's old and airy halls, it's rooms built in ways that would have drove any architect insane. Twisting spirals of marble flowed around flowering columns of stone between widows that lit the empty halls. The home was built with a glass covered courtyard in the middle, his eyes caught the dying grass and broken stone paths that had laid so heavy on the ground. He exhaled a saddened sigh at the obvious lack of care the home had weathered. He touched the clasp of his cloak, a tree made of the darkest metal, and took off the cloak, rolling up his sleeves he began to work.

Mukuro looked at her boss and the rest of this little party that would meet this Avenger: there was Reborn and Skull along with Hibari and her constant companion Hibird, Mukuro's surrogate body Chrome, Xanxus with her flaming guns at her side, Adelheid and her boss, Enma. She looked at the house and "kufufuf~ed" at the sight. It looked so much like the Vedice, old yet timeless, worn but cared for. She didn't wait for the others to catch up but rather walked up the stairs and looked for a doorbell…which she found. It was a literal bell, a chain with a bronze grip fashioned like vines hung to the side of the door, she pulled until the bell rang. It was not a single chime but in fact a series of bells linked together in a way that brought forth a melody. It started with a single deep gong that rang through her body like soft thunder, than a note lighter than a feather across skin, than more bells joined the music until a symphony played. They all basked silently in the sound as the air around them whirled with bells crafted by masters who had lifetimes to perfect their arts. The doors slowly opened inward with nobody behind them. She shrugged and walked in following Reborn who walked his little body towards a sound only he could hear.

Even with her best attitude of indifference she was in awe of this home, stepping back through time. Each room was a different place and time, some rooms were Victorian era London while others were decorated like the warlord's era of China. They walked until they entered the garden.

A large ash tree touched the glass cover of the courtyard, the trunk was covered by vines with brilliant blue buds, and surrounded by flowers of every color they existed in. the rest of the grounds were covered by soft grass, the tree and it's beautiful treasure were ringed by stone pavers with small paths that lead to the edge of the courtyard in a large circle with several fountains at intervals, Mukuro looked at one and let out a gasp. It was of a woman collapsed on a overhand covering her face with her hands as her long hair trailed over the ledge and into the water that formed a lake around her, her tears fell off her face and traced her hair and with a quiet gurgle fell into the lake. Behind the fingers she could see the eyelashes of the crying woman.

The soft thrum of a violin danced in the air and drew them to the sound. There facing the west stood the Vendice, he was tall and thinner than a reed. A small dark violin cradled under his wrapped chin while the bow seemed to glide like a wave across the taunt strings. He didn't signal that he knew they were there until he lifted the wooden gold away from his face and turned to face them. Skull and Reborn walked over leaving the others to stand and admire the garden. He placed the violin in a case that sat next to his feet and held out both hands palm up and the two leapt into them before he moved them to his shoulders…she assumed it was a him as she had only seen one female Vendice member. The three of them spoke at great length about something the others couldn't hear.

Adelheid and Xanxus spoke about different "purification" methods while Mukuro and Chrome were busy trying to replicate the flowers with her illusions and Enma and Tsuna were talking about different problems they both faced as bosses. Hibari and her faithful bird were napping on the grass until Reborn whistled.

They gathered back around as Skull and Reborn walked back to them, Skull's face was hidden by his mask while Reborn had his usual sadistic smirk on "Anastasio is going undercover at the school…as a teacher" and all but Xanxus blanched. The next year at Namimori High was going to be interesting.

* * *

The family had walked to the school together (with Hibari a long ways in front of course) and they split up to go to the different wings: Hibari and Adelheid the seniors, Ryohei, Julie, Aoba and Mukuro the junior and everybody else to the sophomore (but Mizuno, he was working). All the guardians from both families had three classes together with new teachers. All three were tall and thin, roughly they all looked like the Vendice, although they all acted differently.

Suspect #1

Name: Allen York

Nationality: British

Subject: English

They had all sat in class when he walked in, he had short blond hair and had his mouth covered with surgical mask. In a booming voice he declared that "this class will be _da bomb_" and they started translating some simple phrases into English.

Suspect #2

Name: Iida Akira

Nationality: Japanese

Subject: Art

He had walked in painters smocks and short black hair and his mouth covered by a respirator as he was covered in fiberglass dust, he apologized stating it was for his latest work of art. He started showing them different types of art styles ranging from acrylic to modern.

Suspect #3

Name: Marco Sato

Nationality: ?

Subject: Language history and education

When they entered he was sitting at his desk reading a magazine in Arabic, he was dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks and bandages from the bridge of his nose down, his eyes were obscured by shaggy black hair that hung down just past his nose. "hello I'm Marco Sato, you can call me Marco or Dr., professor. I really don't care" upon the subject of his bandages around him he answered "I suffer from a disease that blood gets into my lungs, while it's not contagious I don't want to get blood on anything" he started with a small lesson on the different origins of civilization.

* * *

Now all the guardians sat on the roof running over who could be the Avenger, Hayato glared at Yamamoto "I told you baseball-idiot it can't be Akira, he's too damn short!"

Said baseball man scratched the back of his neck "maa, maa, but didn't you guys say that you didn't get that close to him?"

Hibari let out a small laugh as she watched Hibird flutter around "herbivore" Hayato looked…okay glared at the cloud "he's right, no herbivore would get near him"

Mukuro giggled behind her hand "so are you openly admitting you're a herbivore little skylark?"

Hibari growled and pulled out her tonfas until a paper airplane floated down into Tsuna's lap.

_Meet me at my home_

_5:30_

_Tell your mother_

_I'm looking for Ambra_

Tsuna looked at it and tilted his head to the side with a confused look on his face and it took an act of god that he didn't hear the squeals that the others (Hayato included) were trying to stifle.

* * *

After school Tsuna and his famiglia went to his house to wait until the appointed time. After showing the note to Nana she hugged her son and ran around the kitchen gathering things until two cakes sat in the oven baking to that standard of perfection that so few could ever achieve. She giggled "so he's here!" she suddenly stopped and cupped her face and squealed "OHHH HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?!" before rushing around again. After pulling out a bag and filling it with different things Nana stared at Tsuna, she put her hands on her hips and smiled at Tsuna "I'm going with you!"

He tried to get in edgewise with a "but mom-" or a "I don't think-" but she was off in her own world reminiscing about sometime before he was born.

Hibari, who was sitting the furthest she could from the others, started the question "how does your mom-" she was cut off by an upraised hand from her boss.

"one thing I learned about my mom from my life on this earth is…" he took a deep breath "don't ask, if it doesn't make sense but it's done don't ask"

At the appointed time they met him in front of his house, he was carrying a small white paper bag and Nana rushed up to hug him. Soon the Vongola, Nana and the owner of the house were sitting in a large formal Japanese dining hall and were stuffing their faces with the delicious food. Everyone but Nana sat as far away from Anastasio as they could, which wasn't very but still. Nana never stopped talking about small things and it killed the tension in the room and eventually they all left. As they left Tsuna stopped "u-um…w-why did you send me the note?"

The Vendice's voice was soft and kind, completely at odds with Tsuna's expectations "It's been a long time since I've seen your mother, she's perhaps my only friend. I just wanted to see her. Please look after her, your father's doing the best he can but it's not enough" Tsuna opened his mouth to reply but Hayato's screams drew him away.

* * *

That next week was filled with careful observation, each member wanted to see which teacher was the Vendice.

York actually was a serious contender, he occasionally when nobody was looking had a look of deep reflection on his face, like he had seen something not meant to be seen. Reborn also stated that the very best spies could take on a persona for every occasion and nobody would ever know their real personality, therefore none of the teachers could be ruled out.

Akira was their main suspect, his demeanor was most like that of the local Vendice and he had a huge amount of secrecy, his office hours were directly before and after class than he was gone. He also wore clothes head to toe and if he was a normal Vendice with all the scars and stitches he could pass himself off as a normal person.

Sato was the least suspicious person, he got to the school at the required time in the morning and worked on his various college level projects, and got through class and left to go work on his other projects. His projects were translating various text from artifacts and such for museums and the like. He didn't seem to have a unkind bone in his body either, he greeted everyone he met, not overly friendly or happily but he did.

With Sato being ruled out by a majority vote of 13 out of 15, the two mists voted to keep him in the roster of suspects due to their nature of deception. That left only two options.

Now that all eyes were split on only two (for those of you that hate math that means one eye for each teacher instead of .66 per teacher) each thing done or said was logged and used to find their local Vendice's cover.

This was the tally at the end of the week

York Vs. Akira

York doesn't have the dignity that Akira has. Vendice have dignity (0-1)

York displays more skin (neck, arms, hands) than Akira (full body coverage). Vendice don't show skin due to scars and stitches (0-2)

Akira doesn't have the "if I don't like it I won't fight it" that York does and that lead the Vendice to being mummies. (1-2)

Akira usually comes in late, York (believe it or note) is punctual, Vendice are punctual (2-2)

Then the kicker: both York and Akira don't follow a large portion of the rules. Vendice believe in their own rules and if you don't than you can shove them up your-OKAY! Too graphic (4-4) yes that one's worth 2 points.

So they did the only logical thing-asked both of them,

They actually found the two of them in a conference room and by default Tsuna, as the leader, had to be the one to ask "e-excuse me Mr. Akira, Mr. York…are you Vendice…?"

York and Akira looked at each other and nodded to the young man before walking out without another word.

The next day something happened that had the most diabolical guardian laughing.

* * *

Hibari was on top of the room watching York and Akira walk around to the side of the school, unusual, so she watched them from the roof while the wandered under classroom where Tsuna and the others were. York pulled out a skinning knife and spun it around his fingers expertly while Akira pulled out a pistol. Akira aimed slightly to the right of where he was standing, Hibari knew the lead would fly to Tsuna. Just as she was going to leap down and bite the two to death someone else walked around the corner.

* * *

Tsuna's eyes focused on the black board while his fingers copied down the formula, after a long period of trial and error he found out that if he knew what the formulas were Reborn's training wasn't so bad. Then the sound of chains being dragged across the ground caught his attention. He looked out of the window and saw Sato twirling a gun around his finger as chains floated around him with collars snapping like steel traps as Akira and York were on their backs unconscious.

They were wrong. It was him. Now that he saw he couldn't believe that he had made that mistake, Sato was not personable only alert, hellos were a way of gauging moods and possible problems. He was always alert and those chains hovering behind him. Those chains were meant for him. The other two couldn't have controlled those beasts that hovered behind him.

Under the table Tsuna sent out a text to his friends and allies.

* * *

Anastasio had seen the conversation between the Vongola and the two teachers. He was at once happy and a little irritated, happy that his disguise was so complete that they couldn't see through it, irritated because they thought he was one of those two twits. Twits that had been sent to kill them. Anastasio pulled out his notebook and jotted down a few notes before closing it and putting it in a inside jacket pocket.

It was against his sacred vows to allow Tsuna to die at this time, so he had to stop the two from killing him. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

York and Akira were in position when Anastasio stepped around the corner and flung a chain at Akira, the metal links clipped his hand and the gun fell. York rushed the intruder who wrapped a chain around his foot and pulled hard enough to send York flying into the bushes before turning his attention to Akira who was trying to run from the Vendice. Anastasio short warped behind him and grabbed the back of the runner's head before slamming it into the ground.

He felt the deep upsetting in his chest before he bent double and coughed. He touched a finger to the wrappings at his mouth, the red on his fingers and the taste of metal-blood. He grimaced behind the mask and walked to the infirmary. It wouldn't do to have blood on him when class started.

The class went on like nothing had happened, and in reality this was nothing new for the Vendice member. Anastasio was facing the black board as he wrote something in an obscure dead language "Tsunayoshi Sawada- san. Put that phone away, you and ALL your friends can see me after class…"

The class turned to see Tsuna flinch "y-yes, sensei" he put his phone away but sent a small thread of his flame to his friends, they would meet him there.

All his guardians, Enma, Enma's guardians along with Reborn, Xanxus and Skull stood around the otherwise empty class room as the Vendice slowly made his way around his desk. To Tsuna he moved like an arthritic old man, his intuition fired up when the teacher leaned against his desk "as you know I'm the Vendice member assigned to watch Namimori-but you aren't aware of my other task" he fell silent as the others gathered into a huddle to speak amongst themselves.

Tsuna didn't join the group but asked the question "what's your other task?"

Anastasio took three steps and stopped, he was directly in front of Tsuna and the other realized how tall the enforcer of the law was. Eyes of obsidian sapphire burned into his soul "I was sent here to teach you the Law, for if you break it Vendice will come for you" the chill those words held froze the others "Personally, I care not, Jager and Bermuda think that if you were to fall into our clutches it would be a great loss. I am here only because of what they say" as he walked out he tossed a parting remark over his shoulder "do not disappoint me…"

* * *

Tsuna sat in his room and thought about those last words "do not disappoint me"…something about them was off. His intuition was nagging him, something wasn't right and he needed to figure it out. He pulled out his cell and scrolled his contacts for the one person who knew.

The phone range three times before the raspy voice of the original Vendice answered "Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna felt a stressed smile on his face "H-hello Bermuda, I-I wanted to talk about Anastasio…"

The elder let out a sigh "I will be there in a moment, it is not something that can be discussed over a telephone" and the line went dead. A small black portal burned in his room and the childlike Vendice floated through. "You may want to get your family, I don't want to repeat myself."

It was an odd scene, the group gathered at Kokuyo Land, Xanxus and the Simon sat comfortably next to the Vongola while Ken, Chikusa and M.M. stood and glared at the little baby that sat under a tree.

The Vendice moved his eyes from one face to the next until everyone there felt the seriousness in his tiny body "what I'm going to tell you here is something that WILL never be spread." than in a very quite voice that radiated menace "understand?"

He looked at each face before he took a deep breath "Very well. I must start before any of you were born"


End file.
